Orlando has taken on the challenge presented to him by a mysterious lady he ran into outside a forest. His guide is a book the lady gave him, which will supposedly tell him what he must do. The lady, along with Orlando's accidental companion Leodilla, look on.

Now a thunder seems to be heard in the distance. A huge boulder just ahead begins to crumble and opens up with a tremendous crash. Two frightening, strangely-colored bulls with horns of iron burst out of the boulder, and right away Orlando opens the little book.

In the book it is written: "Knight, if you seek to kill those two bulls you will lose. But if you want to bring your trial to an end, you must tie them together with a chain and then use them to plow the field that you see down below. This is all you need to know for the first blow of the horn; come back to look in here later for the second."

And so began mighty Orlando's great fight with the two bulls, who sent him flying through the air twice with their goring, destroying his breastplate and his shirt of iron. Luckily he was invincible, otherwise those horns would have massacred him whole.

Three times they returned to attack him. Finally the paladin took one of them by the horns and yoked it with a chain. And while that one bellowed, digging its hooves into the ground, he yoked the other one as well, holding them both by the bridle.

So the first trial had been completed according to the rules of the magic book. Using his sword Durindana as plowshare between the two bulls, count Orlando plowed the field, driving the beasts forward and thrashing them like an ox driver. Afterward the two bulls fled toward the horizon, bellowing horribly.